OUR resident foodie, JANe HUTTON, explores the link between fresh, real food and keeping healthy.
2018 is the year where I hope to see more of us get real about health, food, and disease. I saw a huge increase in awareness of the intrinsic links between us, our communities and the planet as a whole in 2017 – the shift towards local producers, sustainable sourcing, food as medicine, reducing waste, and that we can no longer make excuses as the NHS reaches crisis point and the planet’s resources run out. The link between fresh, real food and health came through loud and clear too, as a foundation for healthy bodies, healthy brains, and as the lasting way to a healthy weight. It’s true that our size can have little to do with our health – if you’re a yo-yo dieter who has tried all the fad diets over the years, it’s very likely that your body is totally confused. As a functional nutritionist, it’s not just what you eat that I look at. It’s the possibility of bio-individual, genetic influences, medical history, gut health, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, previous dieting patterns, and more, examined alongside your current eating patterns, stress, and lifestyle. Conversely, if you’re slim, you’re not necessarily healthy. Some of the most disordered eaters I see are those trying so hard to be ‘healthy’, they have excluded a massive number of foods. Often, it’s because they find that they feel better when they don’t eat certain foods or substances, like gluten or dairy. The actual root cause of the reaction, though, is not an intolerance or allergy, and the act of cutting out foods removes a whole range of other nutrients that may not be replaced elsewhere. The impact of this, without professional guidance, can have serious consequences further down the line. The answer? Eat local, seasonal foods, experiment with new ingredients, and consult experts! So what’s available right now that you might not have tried? Try chard, a lovely seasonal vegetable in the UK as we move towards spring. An array of vitamins and minerals give chard an impressively broad profile – high levels of vitamins A, E, and C, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin K make it an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant heavyweight, supporting cardiovascular systems, eye health, immunity, energy release, healing and bone building, plus a huge number of other crucial processes. Many of these nutrients are only absorbed if fat is present, so be sure to cook or eat in recipes that incorporate some healthy fats, like rapeseed oil, or organic butter. Give my recipe a go – it’s an easy, comforting and healthy crowd pleaser!
Chard with sausage and beans
THIS tasty comfort dish serves 4
400g chard
8 sausages
1 large onion
1-2 garlic cloves
rapeseed oil
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed
good quality stock of choice
seasoning to taste
Wash the chard, cutting off the
stalks. Cook in the stock, just enough
to cover, stalks fi rst, adding the
leaves when the stalks are tender.
Drain, reserving the stock, and set
aside. While the chard is cooking,
heat some rapeseed oil in a large
pan, cook the sausages until a few
minutes from done, then slice. Return
to the pan with the onions, adding
the garlic as the sausages cook
through and the onions caramelise.
Add a little stock to deglaze the
pan, and add the sausages, onions,
garlic, and deglazing liquid to the
saucepan with the chard. Add the
beans, combine, and pour in enough
of the reserved stock to make a
sauce in the pan. Heat through,
adding more stock if necessary.
Season to taste, and serve with
crusty bread to mop up the sauce.